This is going to be a fun blog entry to write for as a child my parents worked in the aerospace industry and as a young adult I began to adore and collect the art of Santa Fean Thomas S. Macaione!
Otherwise, how do they connect? The answer is found in an incredible painting I purchased years ago. Prior to this purchase I had seen Tommy on the side of the streets in ole Santa Fe‘ creating masterpieces inspired, no doubt, by the unique beauty that is New Mexico. I had also shared many a cab ride with him when Santa Fe‘ was still serviced by old London cabs. He was fun, eclectic, and a masterpiece himself. One night, late one night, a friend and I were finished celebrating my birthday when we went into Carrows for an early breakfast. There was Tommy siting with a friend, eating and selling posters of one of his pieces. I bought one and he made a long inscription which is descriptive, personal, and now treasured. Years past when the true magic of this piece hit me for after seeing it a thousand times, I finally realized that the original was the front lawn of a house across the street from where I had lived on Galisteo Street. Magic, it was, I tell you! In any case onto the Sputnik connection. The piece I mentioned earlier was painted and dated in 1957. It is a very dark piece so uncharacteristic of Macaione's works...blacks, blood reds, burnt orange, darkened yellows and morose purples colour this piece. It is on a large canvass. The content is of space rockets, a moon with a dotted out eye, and a table complete with a dog's skull, rotted fruit and a mortar and pestle. If you knew Tommy or have seen the life size statue of he and a dog in the City Different, you know he loved animals. Apparently, the entire picture is an expression of the artist's disdain of the Russians putting an animal, in this case a dog, on their rocket and sending him into space!
I believe art that makes a political statement is highly collectible and quite significant. And as a collector of space memorabilia spurred by my upbringing, this art piece is of great value to me. And since today is the anniversary of Sputnik and I celebrate Macaione everyday by enjoying the art he left behind, I wanted to share in cyberspace what exists to this day.
I only wonder what Thomas S. Macaione would think of the Internet and of what would be written of him that all in the world could instantly read and see! ....something tells me, he would have loved it!
For more on Thomas S. Macaione and Sputnik please use the following links:
http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/
www.nytimes.com/partners/aol/special/sputnik/
www.askart.com/askart/m/thomas_s_macaione/thomas_s_macaione.aspx
www.findartinfo.com/search/listprices~keyword~/15730.asp
www.santafe.com/history/tommy_macaione.html
And if you may be interested in purchasing a Macaione original, Nedra Matteucci of New Mexico is said to have an extensive number of Mr. Macaione's works. Her gallery's website is www.matteucci.com .
And, I would encourage any other galleries who hold pieces that are for sale to include their website address in the comment field below!
